The average cost to furnish a house is around $16,000, but you could pay around $3,500 for basic furnishings in a one-bedroom apartment up to $95,000 or more for luxury furnishing in a three or four-bedroom home. The size of your home, available budget, and personal taste all influence how much you’re likely to spend.
Updated February 22, 2022
Written by HomeAdvisor.National Average: $16,000
Low End - High End: $3,500 - $95,000
Broken down below are some of the main furnishing expenses you should account for based on room type. The costs will vary, depending on the size of your room and your desired layout. Low-end costs relate to budget items from flat-pack stores and high-end costs relate to luxury products from upmarket furnishing stores.
Expect to pay anything from $1,500 to $31,000 or more for living room furnishings. Your most significant investment will be your sofa. Ideally, you’ll want to invest more on furniture to get something comfortable and durable.
| LIVING ROOM | Low-End | High-End |
|---|---|---|
| Sofa | $400 | $5,000 |
| Side Chair | $300 | $2,500 |
| Coffee Table | $100 | $1,700 |
| Side Table x 2 | $120 | $1,800 |
| Floor Lamp | $50 | $650 |
| Area Rug | $100 | $3,500 |
| Window Treatments | $50 | $300 |
| Artwork | $50 | $1,500 |
| TV Stand/Media Console | $150 | $6,000 |
| Bookshelf | $50 | $6,000 |
| Styling Accessories | $200 | $2,000 |
| Total | $1570 | $31,100 |
Dining room furnishings could cost anywhere from $1,000 to $16,000 or more. Your decor needs will move the needle on final cost. For example, you may want six dining room chairs instead of four (or two stools if your apartment has a breakfast bar in place of a dining space). Consider what will be most practical for you and your family.
| DINING ROOM | Low-End | High-End |
|---|---|---|
| Dining Table | $300 | $2,800 |
| Chairs x 6 | $240 | $4,200 |
| Sideboard | $200 | $3,500 |
| Area Rug | $100 | $3,000 |
| Art | $100 | $1,500 |
| Window Treatments | $50 | $300 |
| Styling Accessories | $150 | $1,000 |
| Total | $1,140 | $16,300 |
Furnishing a master bedroom could cost anywhere from around $1,000 to $15,000 or more. The size of the bed (queen or king), the quality of the mattress, and the amount of soft furnishings used will all affect your costs.
| MASTER BEDROOM | Low-End | High-End |
|---|---|---|
| Queen/King-sized Bed Frame | $150 | $3,000 |
| Mattress | $250 | $3,250 |
| Nightstands x 2 | $100 | $2,000 |
| Table Lamps x 2 | $30 | $740 |
| Full-size Mirror | $30 | $870 |
| Dresser | $150 | $2,700 |
| Drapes/Window Treatment | $50 | $150 |
| Styling Accessories | $200 | $1,500 |
| Total | $960 | $14,210 |
If you have additional bedrooms in your home, how much you spend on them will vary depending on how you use them. You may adorn these rooms with cribs or bunk beds for children, or you might use one as an office space.
For example, you could spend under $1,000 for abudget-friendly twin room redesign, and up to $15,000 for luxury furnishings per additional bedroom.
ADDITIONAL BEDROOMS | Low-End | High-End |
|---|---|---|
| Single Beds x 2 | $200 | $1,600 |
| Single Mattress x 2 | $250 | $5,200 |
| $100 | $2,000 | |
| Table Lamps x 2 | $30 | $740 |
| Full-size Mirror | $30 | $870 |
| Dresser | $150 | $2,700 |
| Window Treatment | $50 | $150 |
| Styling Accessories | $150 | $1,000 |
| Total | $960 | $14,260 |
You may also have storage furnishings and accessories in places like hallways, foyers, garages or basements. The indicative costs provided do not include furnishings for any other spaces you have in your home, so be sure to budget for this when appropriate.
The size of your home will determine costs. You can furnish a one-bedroom apartment for as low as $2,650 or a three-bedroom home for $5,890. Whether you opt for standard, luxury, or custom items is up to your design preferences.
| HOUSE SIZE | Low-End | High-End |
|---|---|---|
| One-bed Apartment | $3,670 | $61,610 |
| Two-bed House | $4,930 | $78,370 |
| Three-bed House | $5,890 | $92,630 |
The size of your room and number of rooms impact cost. For example, a small two-seater sofa in a 500-square foot living room is not practical for a family of four. You’d be better off with a fuller sofa or sectional to fill the space.
If you have tall, arched windows, you may require custom-made window treatments. For non-standard room shapes, furniture may need to be bespoke, and the cost of custom furniture averages around $2,575.
The quality of the furnishings you select will have a significant impact on your overall spend. Finding a balance between budget pine furniture and high-end mahogany will allow you to have quality pieces that won’t break the bank.
Factor delivery costs into your budget, so you don’t have any nasty surprises. They can range from around $50 to $500 depending on the store, your location, the number and type of items and how quickly you want to receive them.
Shopping for large furniture items means you often have to pay the store a delivery charge or hire a vehicle to get them home. You can’t always bring furniture home on the day you buy it. You often have to order items like sofas, so hiring a van to get everything home at once may not be practical.
Flat-pack furniture can be less expensive than pieces already assembled, but assembly can be time-consuming and sometimes tricky—especially if you have a whole home to furnish.
If you don’t want this hassle, some companies and stores offer a furniture assembly service. The average cost for furniture assembly is $110 or $55 per hour, but you could pay from $40 to $450. It depends on where you live, the store you have bought from, and how much furniture you have to assemble. Often you can hire a local handyperson for this type of work.
Opting to purchase the bulk of your furnishings with one supplier could work out cheaper than buying from multiple outlets. Some smaller companies may offer a discount for bulk purchasing, including free delivery. Buying from many retailers may make it more challenging to keep a handle on your budget, and you might incur additional delivery charges.
If you’re on a limited budget and buying from low-cost flat-pack stores, hiring an interior decorator may not be a worthwhile investment. If you have a large space and plan to fill it with high-quality furnishings, the cost to hire an interior designer could be worth it. They’ll help you make the most of your space and can sometimes secure discounts through their network of suppliers.
Interior designers typically charge $50 to $200 per hour for their services. Interior designers charge less—up to $150 per hour—but their focus is on decorative elements and furnishings rather than design and function.
When budgeting for furnishings, it isn’t just about actual pieces of furniture. You’ll also need window treatments, soft furnishings (cushions, throws, bedspreads), rugs, lighting, and artwork.
Appliances and utensils aren’t part of this cost guide, but some experts would also wrap them up under this term. The definition of furnishings often relates to anything not permanently attached to your house (i.e. cabinets, fireplaces, or built-in wardrobes).
There are many ways you can reduce the cost of furnishing your home if you’re on a limited budget. Search online classifieds, thrift stores, and yard sales for high-quality items at deep discounts. Purchasing items during seasonal sales can also save you, on average, 25 to 50%.
You can even upcycle second-hand goods that aren’t in the best condition to give them a fresh look. Although, be aware that the cost to reupholster furniture, for example, can be more expensive than buying something new.
You don’t have to furnish your whole house at once either. If you have more than one bedroom but don’t have children, there isn’t a rush to fill the spare room. If you normally have TV dinners on the sofa, then don’t purchase a dining room set just yet.
Painting is one of the most affordable ways to decorate and transform a space in your home. The average cost to paint a room is between $2 and $6 per square foot. The cost to paint an average ten-by-twelve-foot room ranges from $200 to $800, including professional labor. If you choose to DIY it, this can cost between $100 to $300 and could take you anywhere from a few hours to a few days to complete the job.
